Sweat
by Apocalyptic-Fairytale
Summary: this was written for Alan Bate's CloudxAerith 102 theme challenge over at the CxA forums. Aerith's POV. FLUFFY. I hope you enjoyed it. Please, comments&favs are much loved ;3


__Cali here: Tah-dah. I haven't written in a long time cuz I was recently flamed and made fun of for my writings. It dragged on me and I kinda felt sad from all the negative comments. So... I didn't write for a few months. But then I figured... people will always say negative things. They'll always try and bring you down cuz they're sad with themselves. So I wrote this today! I've just been reading a lot of really really sweet Clourith fictions(specifically Incognito's Memories fic for CxA) and it really really inspired me. I only wish I could be half as good as a writer as her. So, that said. I should just add that this is a really fluffy one shot from Aerith's point of view. I hope you will enjoy it and comment to tell me what you think. :3 __

__Much love,  
><em>_

* * *

><p><em>Sweat<em>

There he was. Kneeling there before her. He appeared a bit worn out, dirt covering his clothes, face and the exposed skin of his toned arms. She wasn't sure how it happened but out of nowhere a wild monster came to attack her when she was trying to catch her breath for a few moments. And before she could even bat an eyelash he came to her rescue, swooping in as quick as ever to protect her without any hesitance at all. His battle had left him in a state of, not weakness, but a state of being a bit drained. It wasn't as if the monster was something he couldn't handle, he had proved to her many a time that he could more than handle a few wild beasts they encountered on their journey—it was more from the fact that no one in their group had gotten any rest for days. They were even running low on water. And on top of that, AVALANCHE seemed to have found themselves traveling through vast plains during one of its hottest summers.

She was sitting on the grassy ground, her bodyguard kneeling beside her. "You okay?" he questioned as he looked over her form, making sure she had not gotten hurt in the battle that just took place. She would have answered immediately; however, he was so close she couldn't help but fall into a daze as his Mediterranean blue eyes gazed at her with such concern and care that she wasn't able to reply. She felt her heart flutter at the gentle expression across his usually stern face. It was always so sweet to see him so concerned… it was a rare sight for him to display this type of emotion. In a matter of fact, the entire time she knew him he only ever displayed such an emotion only a few times—_all which coincidentally revolved around her_—so seeing his usually calm, cool, and collected attitude wither into such emotions was something Aerith knew not to take for granted. And although she hated worrying him, she couldn't help but feel a sense of happiness seeing how much he cared for her. She knew she should answer his question but she was still just too mesmerized by him. She couldn't help but notice the dirt splotches across his handsome face. And somehow, Aerith's curious eyes had somehow wondered to his muscled arms. Wide eyed, she peered at the muscles of his bicep that were still flexed from the battle. His naturally golden skin glistened in the sunlight as the sun beat down on the beads of perspiration across his toned arms. Suddenly, Aerith felt her cheeks blush as she soaked in his handsome image before moving her gaze to her lap.

He asked her again, placing his hand under her chin as his hand gently but firmly lifted her face upwards to look at him. Aerith felt the butterflies in her stomach flutter as she took in the touch of his hand against her chin. When their gazes met, the soft look in his eyes nearly made her faint. Before she could even open her mouth to answer she suddenly felt a surge of pain in her ankle. She saw Cloud's expression grow worrisome as he noticed her face grow pained.

"What is it?" he questioned, a sense of strong concern racking his voice.

"N-n-nothing. It's just my ankle—"

Without wasting a moment's time, she felt Cloud lift her foot in his hand, sliding off her brown boot to further examine what was causing her such pain. She was a little stunned when she felt his hand gently cup the heel of her foot, allowing him to feel around her ankle to determine whether or not it was a serious injury. Once again, she felt her cheeks heat up as his hand gently brushed across her skin.

"Does that hurt?" he asked with a calm tone that still seemed to sound a bit full of caution and heed. Aerith winced as he applied pressure to her ankle. She didn't want to be a burden to the gang or Cloud so she tried to ignore it; "No, no. It's—" before she could finish she felt Cloud apply slightly more pressure to her ankle and she couldn't hold back the whimper. "Ow!" The sudden gasp and sound of pain in her voice as her face scrunched up to try and overcome the pain proved to Cloud that her wound was bad enough to be looked after.

"Is it serious?" she fretted.

"No," Cloud fought a weak smile that was trying to work itself on his face. He knew it wasn't a life or death situation with this injury but Cloud couldn't help but think the worried look on her face was cute. "You definitely shouldn't walk on it, though." Cloud added with the utmost concern. "I'm gonna have to carry you—" he said firmly, his voice stern enough as if to say he wasn't taking no for an answer.

"No, really. I'm fine. Just give me a few minutes and I'll be fine." Aerith pleaded.

"This _isn't_a negotiation, Aerith." Cloud's eyes were brimming with concern and a strong look of determination to not let her walk by herself. And Aerith knew right at that very moment that her bodyguard wasn't planning on giving up on the issue.

"It's hot Cloud… and you're tired—"

"Are you saying I can't carry you for a while?" Cloud jokingly challenged, his brow lifting at her doubt.

"No, I just—" her expression fell to a worried one; "I just don't want to be a burden… that's all."

Cloud's face fell softer as he looked her in the eyes. "You're not." A weak smile spread across his face as he tried to reassure her it wouldn't be a problem. His gaze stayed on her until he saw a smile of her own form on her face.

Before she could even stand she felt Cloud swoop his hand under her legs, his other behind her back as he lifted her off the ground and into his embrace. Once more, a shade of pink blushed across her cheeks as the warm and strong hold of Cloud's arms held her close. Although this wasn't what she had planned, she couldn't hide the fact that she very much enjoyed being in his arms like this. So close she could feel him breathe.

Suddenly, she felt herself pulled to do something she never thought she would ever do. She placed a chaste kiss on his cheek, the embrace lingering on his skin. The sudden touch stunned Cloud and he felt drawn to look at her, locking eyes with the flower girl. His mouth fell agape, his eyes darting across her face, looking for an answer to why she just did what she did.

"Thanks, bodyguard." Her voice was soft and sweet, as soft as a rose's petals. And just like that, Cloud felt the feeling to know why she did it vanish. He didn't have to know. Not now. He smiled, his eyes sparking with adoration and slight cockiness; "I'm your bodyguard, right?"

Aerith giggled and nodded as she leaned her face against his shoulder, her face resting in the bend of his neck as her arm wrapped around his head, pulling herself close to his body. Cloud felt himself sweat a bit more as he realized just how close she was to him.

…_Nothing he couldn't handle, though_.

* * *

><p><em>Also, this was written for Alan Bate's CloudxAerith 102 theme challenge over at the CxA forums. I've already written like, 9 fan fictions for this challenge xD I hope you enjoyed it. Please, comments&amp;favs are much loved ;3<br>_


End file.
